Fireworks
by balfonheim
Summary: [Squffie] When Yuffie is forced to take care of Leon when he breaks his leg, what will ensue? Rated for Language


**a/n **I am definitely very proud of my muse. That is all. I hope y'all enjoy this, because it might be the last Squffie you see for a LONG while.

**disclaimer **You know the deal. I don't own characters or places, but the story is my own.

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This is definitely the dumbest thing Aerith has ever told me to do. I mean, _come on. _Putting me in the same room as a bedridden Leon is about as safe as shoving me in a cage with a rabid chocobo.

Actually, I'd choose the chocobo over Leon any day.

But here I am, not saying anything, not doing anything, not hardly _breathing_ because that'd probably make Leon _explode _or something. I just sit here, staring off into space until Aerith gets back and saves me from my personal purgatory. Yes, oh wonderful goddess of the pink dress, I have atoned for my sins and am ready to leave this place. I will shout this at the top of my lungs when my green-eyed friend comes back from wherever she went.

Wasn't she supposed to knock Leon out with a sleep spell before she left? I _know _she promised me that the Gunblade wielder would be no trouble for me – what, with his broken leg and all – and the only way I can see that happening is if Squallie-poo was sleeping. But _no_ –

"Yuffie, stop doing that!" Leon barks from the bed, turning his attention to me from a boring-ass show on the history channel. I perk up in my chair at the human voice.

"Stop doing what?" I'm the picture of adorable innocence, but I can tell Squall isn't having any of that.

"Stop drumming your fingers on the table," he growls back, and I'm suddenly thinking along the lines of a favorite childhood chanting game about cookies. _Who me? Yes you! Couldn't be! Then who?_ Except I have the strongest feeling that Leon wouldn't get it.

Mr. I-have-something-stuck-up-my-ass grunts and turns back to the television. Thank the gods for military shows that keep him from yelling at me _all the time._ Otherwise, Aerith and I would have already gone absolutely nutso because Squall would have been bored and impatient and even nastier.

I'm just beginning to sing praises to Leviathan for distracting Leon from any of my activities (like breathing) – which Leon always finds aggravating – when the power goes out with a _shjoom._ Oh… damn it all.

"The power's out!" I comment to Leon mock-cheerily, skipping over to sit on the edge of his bed. That is, until I receive a glare that is so frigid it could turn liquid nitrogen solid. Quickly, I get off the bed.

"That's obvious," Leon mutters in response to my stupid-ass comment. This is the thanks I get for fluffing those crap-filled pillows under his broken leg. Ha. See if I ever fluff up those frilly pink pillows again, Squall.

And so begin our hours in darkness…

**Hour 1**

"So what are we going to do, Leon? Sit here and stare at each other?" I inquire, bouncing on his bed annoyingly. He doesn't like this at all, I can tell, but I like it that way. It makes for a much more interesting time.

"I would _really _enjoy that," Squall replies with sarcasm nearly dripping off his tongue, thick as molasses.

"Hey, you have a better idea?" I'm offended now, and my bouncing gets even more annoying. Ha. And ha. And HA HA HA. Idiot.

Leon doesn't answer me, which means that he's thoroughly pissed. ALRIGHT! My life is complete. I can die happy, knowing that I've gotten him to this level of annoyance. However, when he doesn't talk to me for a few minutes, I know that I've gone a bit too far. Darn it.

"You wanna play a game of cards?"

**Hour 2.2**

"How do you _always_ win, Squall?" I ask him after playing our fifth round of Rummy. Which was already preceded by a game of Black Jack and War.

"It's Leon," he answers me smugly. Ugh, spare me the gloating, _please. _"And I win because I'm better than you."

"Are not!" And I'm a kid again, arguing like this. All he needs to do now is argue back, saying "are too!" Then I can crack a Star Wars joke, which will piss off mister closet Trekkie. Or whatever they call the Star Wars fans.

"Do you know how to play Checkers?" Damn, I can't use my joke, but I might be able to spread some whoop-ass on this game. At least I know how to play this one passably well. And I don't need a poker face. Or a rummy face. Or a black jack face or war face. Whatever. A face for every card game.

Like I said, I don't need any face but my own for Checkers.

**Hour 2.8**

"DAMNIT! You're CHEATING! I KNOW YOU ARE, YOU BASTARD!" I burst out, flipping over the Checkerboard on his bed. He blinks up at me apathetically, and, okay, so I know that freaking out when you lose a game of Checkers is something you do when you're _seven_ but give me a break! I couldn't _win._

"You're being a bad sport, Yuffie," Leon tells me, chiding me like I'm a kid. Damn, he's got me there.

"Yes, but you're being an a-"

The phone rings then, and I dive to grab it from Leon's bedside table before he does.

"Hello?" I ask with a grunt, bumping my head against the wall. I can hear Squall saying, "that hurts, _doesn't it?"_ Which is answered with a swift, "Shut the hell up, _Squall."_

"Yuffie?"

"AERITH! Where _ARE YOU!"_

"Stuck. You know, I was going around and visiting friends, and then a woman goes into labor, and the hospital can't spare anyone right now, and I kind of said I'd handle it."

"AERITH! You can't do that! You can't…" I lower my voice, "…you can't LEAVE ME HERE ALONE with Mr. Iceblock, can you? That would be HEARTLESS!" Squall grunts something like, "I'm not an Iceblock," but I can block it out because Aerith is talking again.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie, I have to be here! I'll call you when I can." Then she hangs up and I know I am _so screwed._

**Hour 5**

"So… Squallie-kins…"

"Don't ever call me that again."

"Fine."

"…"

"You want to start a game of Monopoly?"

"I'd rather not."

"Because you know I'd win?"

"Because I know you'd throw a temper tantrum when you lost."

"I WOULD NOT!"

"…Whatever."

"Screw you, asshole."

**Hour 7.3**

I'm sitting there in a chair by Leon's bed, staring sulkily into the flame of the candles I've set up, when I realize that being angry and stupid isn't going to make this time with Leon any easier. I hate when common sense rules the day. My common sense sounds a little like Squall and Aerith mixed. Which kind of sucks sometimes.

"Hey, ummm… you know how hard apologies are for me, so… when I say 'I'm sorry', you know I _really_ mean it. So… uhh… sorry, Leon."

"…Whatever."

"Oookay… yeah… so… what do you want to do?"

I'm fishing for ideas. We need to do something.

"…Whatever."

"You want to share life stories?"

Oh, where in the world did that come from? He'll answer with another "…Whatever." I'm sure.

"…No."

OOH! Mix it up, Leon did. I'm impressed. Maybe if I ask him to dress up in a tutu he would, just to get rid of my pestering questions.

"Would you – "

"The answer is no. It will always be no. So stop asking."

"Okay, okay! Sheesh! Who put a crab down your pants?"

"…Whatever."

I decide to take a plunge, and just start talking.

"So, you know, I was born in November in another world. It was really cold, but I'm glad I have a winter birthday. My mom used to make me hot chocolate on my birthdays, after I got done playing in the snow. Back on my old planet, when I was real young, it would snow during late fall. So, it was really disappointing when I ended up at Hollow Bastion and there was no snow…"

"Yuffie, I already know this. You've told me a million times."

"…I know, but I want to tell you again!"

"…Whatever."

"So as I was saying…"

**Hour 8.7**

"Huh. I never knew that about you, Leon! Tell me more about your friends – Rinoa and Quistis and Seifer and Selphie and Irvine and – "

"You remember _all _of their names?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, ummm… anyway, about my friends, well, Seifer was always…"

**Hour 9.4**

I'm getting so close to the point where I could almost spill out every secret of mine. Including the big one. THE BIG ONE. The "Squall I've had a MAJOR crush on you since I was thirteen" secret. The secret where, after hearing it, Squall will stop talking to me altogether.

I can't help it, though! He's being so nice and so not Leon-like that I really want to tell him! That maybe, now that he's restricted to a bed during a power outage, he might take more kindly on me. Hey, it's a dream. It's not a very realistic dream, but it's still a dream.

But something else is nagging at me. Something from his story about his friends.

"You liked Rinoa, didn't you?"

"…Yes."

My world crumbles to pieces.

**Hour 10**

Squall helps me decide on calling Aerith again.

"Aer? You there?" _Hey, that rhymes!_

"Yuffie? Hey, could you hold on?"

I can hear a muffled series of noises, a few screams, a man's frantic voice, and Aerith's tone rising above them all soothingly.

"So the mother is screaming like a banshee?"

"Pretty much," Aerith answers.

"She in any danger?"

"Not really. How's it going with Leon?"

"Oh, it was bad… now it's getting better."

"That's good! I was just hoping you guys hadn't killed each other yet!"

"Yeah." I chuckle. "So, do you know when you'll be back?"

"Hold on." Aerith is annoyed at the people in the background now, and I can't help but snicker.

"They seriously need to take a chill pill," I say when she is back."

"Definitely. I'll probably be back in a few hours… three or so? Does that sound reasonable?"

"I guess."

"Alright. Thanks, Yuffs."

"You owe me."

"I know. Bye!"

"Bye."

**Hour 11**

"So, do you like anyone here in Traverse?" Leon asks me out of the blue. I'm surprised, to say the least. Why would he be asking me this? There's absolutely no point in it. Not at all. It's not the sort of conversation Leon relishes involving himself in.

I avoid the question like the plague.

"How is your leg? Do your pillows need fluffing?"

"Yuffie, answer the question."

Oh goody. You ready for a blatant lie? I KNOW I AM!

"Nuh-uh! I don't like any of them here… they're all boring and ugly and… ick. When I was a kid, my mom and dad used to tell me that I'd marry the son of one of their friends… I was so young, and Vincent was fourteen years my elder, but he was the nicest guy. He'd bring me candy and cookies and would watch me when my parents couldn't. I'd call him Vinnie, even though he hated that. Secretly, I think he really liked being called Vinnie, but that he wanted to stay tough around me. He was my best friend – or who I thought was my best friend… I really miss him. He would have been great to have around. And maybe my parents' wishes would have been granted…"

I shake my head. This isn't what I was supposed to be telling him. Too much information here.

"But anyway… yeah, that's… it, I guess."

"I'm sorry about Vincent, Yuffie," Squall tells me.

"I'm sorry about Rinoa, Leon."

We both pause in reflection. There's nothing to add to that, really. The people we really cared for are gone. Any romance, any love – gone.

Or just out of reach, as I've always known.

**Hour 11.9**

"Is there something going on with you and Aerith?"

He coughs and I know he stifling a laugh. I just _know _because that's a talent I've acquired over all the years. Stifling laughter is a specialty of mine. Duh.

"You have to be kidding. Me and Aerith? No. Of course not."

"You two seem to be buddies, though. You're around each other a lot."

My reasoning is pitiful and we both see it.

"And we're around each other a lot. Doesn't mean there's anything going on."

**Hour 12**

"Now when you say that there's nothing going on between us, you mean…?"

He stares at me.

"That there's nothing going on between us."

Continues to stare at me.

"But that's so vague…"

And I stare right back.

"Do you think there's anything going on between us?"

Dead silence.

"Why would I think that?"

His sapphire eyes are bright. Glimmering.

"I don't know."

And those three words really answer every question we may have.

"I don't know either."

And so we drop it. There's nothing going on between us.

**Hour 12.8**

I don't get it. The room is still really charged from the conversation before. But there's nothing going on between us. We both know this. It's obvious, isn't it? Or maybe it isn't as obvious as I think it is. To either of us. I know that it's not quite as obvious as it should be to me. Is it possible…?

"And now, what if I think that something _is _going on between us?" I ask him matter-of-factly.

"Why do you think that?" It's basically the same question as before.

I can't stand the tension anymore. It's, like, killing me. Really. I'm choking or something, because all of a sudden, my cheeks turn red from lack of oxygen (or a blush, whatever floats your boat) and I feel light-headed.

"Because I like you."

Damn.

**Hour 12.83**

"You WHAT!"

"I like you, Leon."

I move to sit on his bed, and he's too wrapped up in my revelation to say anything.

"Is that okay with you?"

I wait for his answer.

"No."

"Tough."

I can't take it anymore. I CAN'T TAKE IT! I grab the front of his white t-shirt and pull him upwards with the strength I can muster, and then kiss him.

And his lips are so warm, and soft, and I just can't take it, I can't take it, and…

He kisses me back.

And oh, there are fireworks.

**Hour 12.99**

Suddenly, the power comes back on. Just like that. After thirteen hours of both hell and heaven, POOF! The power is back. And a few minutes after the power, right on time, is a grinning Aerith. She's delivered a baby, I know, and I want to hug her, but my spot next to Squall on the bed, both of us watching a show on the History Channel, Squall's arm around my shoulders, is _way_ too comfortable to get up from.

Instead, I simply say, "Hey Aerith!"

She looks puzzled.

"You get that rabid chocobo yet?"

I laugh. No one gets the joke, so they think I'm crazy, but…

At least I get to be crazy with Squall's arm around my shoulder.

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**a/n** Review, por favor? 


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